Welcome Guest Blogger Dahlia DeWinters

Halloween is that time of year where many of us are seeking to be someone else, even if only for a little while. The explosion in sales for adult costumes over the past few years is a testament to that. Even the grown-up want to get away from real life for a moment or two.

Then, there are those for whom Halloween is a holiday that they wish would never come around, ever.

Take poor Sakaria. This gal wakes up one morning to find that she’s been turned into a cat. A nice brown cat, you know, those smug-looking Siberian ones with the thick coats and super fluffy tails? That’s her. Sure, she can control the kitty-shifting up to a point, but if she doesn’t find someone to help take off the curse, by Halloween, she’ll be doomed to be a cat…you guessed it….FOREVER.

Imagine if you received this letter in the mail:

Warning to the reeder of this note. Prepare yourself. You have been cursed. You will turn into a cat a dais after Halloween. Be warned. W.K.

Talk about a “yeah, right” moment. Until you wake up as a cat.

Blurb:

Curses, spells, fairy tales…no thanks! Sakaria Thorpe prefers the reality of running a café over the nonsense of make believe. But is it really make believe?

When she finds herself cursed to be a shape-shifting cat, she becomes a believer. Good thing she’s able to fit shape-shifting into her schedule. Life’s fine until she discovers she will be cursed to be a cat forever if she doesn’t find a man to break the spell by midnight on Halloween.

Excerpt:

The letter was written on what seemed like regular copy paper that had been burned around the edges, probably to give it a more mysterious look. Sakaria Thorpe unfolded it cautiously, wondering what on earth it could be. The scent of charred paper tickled her nose as she scanned the badly written words with a growing feeling of bemusement.

Warning to the reeder of this note. Prepare yourself. You have been cursed. You will turn into a cat a dais after Halloween. Be warned. W.K.

Sakaria tossed the letter on to the blond wood of the sideboard in the dining room, and laughed out loud. Far too sensible to believe in curses, spells or witchcraft she strolled into her cozy yellow kitchen, shaking her head, her socks making no sound on the polished hardwood floor. The morning sun shone brightly through the white lace curtains, further dispelling her belief in the curse. How could she be cursed when the sun beamed so beautifully? She peeked out of her kitchen window, momentarily calmed by the view of the colorful autumn woods.

Sakaria gave an exasperated sigh as she reached for the refrigerator handle, suddenly realizing exactly who WK was. One date with the guy, one lousy, horrible date, and now this? An absurd and rambling letter? Besides, it was already four “dais” after Halloween and she wasn’t a cat yet. Apparently, the dude had trouble with time. She sighed again. He had trouble with a lot of things.

Sakaria paused, her hand on the fridge handle. Maybe she should call the police, but for what? A stupid half-burned letter that declared in a rather roundabout way she was going to turn into a cat? It was weird, but not very threatening. Best to just forget about it.
By the time she had finished breakfast and made her way to the café, she had pushed the odd letter to the back of her mind. Friday was inventory and cash reconciliation, their busiest day, and she didn’t have any time to think any further about it.

It was only when she was brushing her teeth Friday evening that the whole weird incident came rushing back to her as she met her own eyes in the mirror. Could it actually be true? No way, if it were true I’d be a damn cat by now. Stop thinking about it. People can’t cast spells on other people. Forget it! She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and finished cleaning her teeth. As a distraction, she occupied herself with a few meaningless tasks. Straightening throw pillows, rinsing dishes and scrubbing the toilet bowl. When she finally lay on her pillow, she had pushed the entire incident out of her mind.
* * * *
When Sakaria awoke the next morning she stretched lavishly, getting the sleep-kinks out of her body before opening her eyes. Somehow, that didn’t help the itchy and restless feeling that remained, even after two deep breaths. Her heart seemed to be beating unusually fast and, when she finally opened her eyes she realized that something was wrong. She was under her bed…
She blinked once and then again. Was she losing her mind? Could the tea she drank last night be a bad batch, bringing on odd behavior? Hallucinations?

Things were definitely not quite right. She didn’t seem as big as she should be. Her joints; knees, shoulders, elbows, even fingers and toes either seemed to be in the wrong place or simply non-existent. Out of the corners of her eyes she saw what looked like… guitar strings… sticking out of her face. She sneezed and the sneeze sounded muffled and small. It sounded squeaky. And somehow she could smell the raw chicken parts she’d thrown into the garbage the night before. How could that be when the garbage was in the kitchen, two rooms away?

Something was very, very wrong. She started to crawl from under the bed when she looked at her hand.

I would first like to thank the 69 shades crew for hosting me! I am from NJ as some of you may know and was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. No power/heat for a week, which was why I was unable to stop by and respond to all your lovely comments.

I’d like to take the time now to thank all if you for the support and well/wishes. When I get Internet service back (I’m on my phone now) I will be sure to respond more fully. 🙂

Hello everyone!! First of all I’d like to Thank the 69 shades crew for hosting me. As some of you may know I am a Jersey girl, and we were hit hard by hurricane Sandy. I was without power for a week and thus unable to respond to all your lovely comments.

Right now I’m typing this post on my phone as Internet service has not yet been restored.

Rest assure it as soon as I am able to type from a real keyboard again I will respond to all your comments. Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement. 🙂